About this Research Topic
Novel Modalities in Cancer Diagnostics and Therapeutics
At present, malignant tumors still remain a global public health issue, seriously threatening human health with increasing incidence. The occurrence of malignant tumors is the result of long-term interaction between genes and environmental factors, however, the etiology of many cancer types has not been fully determined, and many aspects are yet to be explored in the cancer research field.
In the past 20 years, the life sciences field has witnessed impressive advances, facilitated by the emergence of numerous novel technologies. Especially within the cancer field, these new technologies play important roles in uncovering new molecular targets for cancer diagnosis and treatment. Multiple "Omics" techniques, including genomics, transcriptomics, epigenomics, metabolomics, metagenomics, and so on are widely used in cancer research. Some novel biological detection systems have been developed, such as nucleic acid aptamer, microfluidic chip and others, that greatly expanded the range of targetable molecules. In light of this, some small molecules, that lack antigenicity and are difficult to be detected by traditional antigen-antibody system, could now be detected by new technologies. Some trace substances such as circulating tumor cells, ctDNA and cfDNA could be detected by new detecting systems. Moreover, new experimental models have been introduced into cancer research, including genetically modified animal models, PDX models and organoid models. Application of those models will speed up the study for screening new drugs, finding sensitive or resistant drugs, not only for traditional anti-cancer medication, but also for immune-checkpoint inhibitors therapy.
This Research Topic aims to highlight the multiple aspects of new technologies on cancer biology that could be of potential application on cancer diagnosis and treatment. We welcome original research and review articles focused on, but are not limited to cancer genomics, bioinformatics, novel research models, and new detecting system for molecular detection, cancer diagnosis or treatment.
Potential sub-topics include:
1) New methods for molecular targets research.
2) New models for cancer diagnostic and therapeutic study.
3) Progression on drug screening.
Keywords: New technologies, Biomarkers, Molecular targets, Therapeutic targets, cancer, drug screening
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